Here are some of the most useful ideas I picked up from a New Zealand Writers College course on blog writing (Writing Articles for Websites and Blogs). Choose a specific angle and stick to it An idea is a broad subject for…
I highly recommend Link∙Ability to anyone who would like to harness the power of LinkedIn to enhance their career or business. It’s a quick, easy read packed with practical advice on what you can start doing or improve on, to achieve your…
This website began life in the middle of 2020 when I realised I wanted a place to publish blogs about some topics that weren't a natural fit for my Writing for Councils website. I’m not saying that the way I went…
Blogging platforms and the social media landscape have both evolved since Robin Houghton wrote Blogging for Creatives in 2012, but there are many points in this book which continue to be just as relevant today as they were eight years ago. 1.…
This blog is for anyone who has felt the urge to write a blog but has been put off by questions such as 'what's the point?' and 'who would read it anyway?' Here's a summary of my journey to answer these questions…
Here's the Little Book of Memories I put together for Mum for her 80th birthday on 14 August 2019. My friend Denise Tombs (a graphic designer) made it into this printed booklet for me. Here's the text inside the booklet. Crafts…
Nana Thomas (Mum's mother) gave me these stories about family life in her household of bringing up five children. Pam is my mother, and she was born in 1939. When Shirley and Pam were under five years old we would go…
Helen Thomas (nee Watts) was my grandmother (my mother's mother). Here's the story of her early days before she married Allan Thomas. More about their life together is available here. My father was killed in the first World War, so Mum brought…
Zelda Bradshaw was my Nana (my father's mother). When I was a journalism student (back in 1992) I asked her to share her stories. Here's what she said - and this does capture how she spoke (as I was able to do…
Allan Thomas (Poppa) was born in 1909. He grew up and farmed on Thomas Road. Here's some more background about his early life. More about their family life together is available here. In 1896 294 acres of virgin land covered in totara…